1 Overview

HCSNet provides financial support for the organization of seminars through its Seminar Support Program. The Program aims to bring together researchers who might otherwise not meet as a consequence of both geographical and disciplinary boundaries.

Specifically, the Program provides funding that enables applicants to invite a seminar speaker to their institution from elsewhere in the country. Funding for seminars is allocated on the basis of competitive applications; our aim is to fund approximately one HCSNet Seminar in each month of the year.

Funding of up to $1,000 can be requested for an HCSNet Seminar. This amount is intended to cover airfare and associated accommodation and subsistence costs for the invited speaker, and other costs associated with staging the seminar, such as room hire and provision of refreshments or post-seminar drinks.

2 Scope and Format of Seminars

Seminars should be on a topic or issue that is of interest to the HCSNet community. Strong preference will be given to topics which are genuinely interdisciplinary, and likely to attract an audience from outside the membership of the host group or laboratory; and to applications which genuinely support the visit of a speaker who would otherwise have not spoken at that institution, thus providing an opportunity for increased interaction.

There are no constraints on the format of seminars, other than that some record of the event needs to be provided to HCSNet for incorporation into the HCSNet website; see below under Conditions of Funding.

3 Conditions of Funding

Successful applications for funding must meet the following conditions:

1. The seminar should be planned sufficiently ahead of time that it can be advertised at least one month in advance in the HCSNet Newsletter.
2. Acknowledgement of HCSNet's support should appear prominently on any materials associated with the seminar. In particular, any material advertising the event should clearly indicate that the event is an HCSNet Seminar; and the HCSNet logo and name should be visible on the presentation materials used by the seminar speaker. Electronic images will be provided, as will specific advice on how HCSNet support should best be acknowledged.
3. Some record of the seminar must be made; at a minimum, a PDF copy of the slides or other presentation materials used by the seminar speaker should be made available within one week after the seminar for mounting on the HCSNet website. Other forms of record, particularly audio- or video-recordings, are strongly encouraged if the host laboratory's infrastructure can provide these.
4. A list of attendees, indicating their full names, departments, institutions and email addresses, should be provided within one week of the seminar.

4 Timing

Ideally scheduling should be negotiable so that the seminar series can be spread over the year. In order for this to occur, intended seminars should be flagged as early as possible, so that local and HCSNet scheduling constraints can be accommodated.

5 Application Deadlines

There are no application deadlines: applications will be accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.

Applications will be assessed by the Seminars Subcommittee of the HCSNet Steering Committee, and decisions will usually be made within two weeks of receipt of an application. The subcommittee's decisions are final.

6 Format of Applications

Applications should be sent by email as either Word or PDF attachments to programs@hcsnet.edu.au with the subject line 'Application for Seminar Support'. Applications for funding should be approximately 2 pages in length, and should provide the following information under the headings specified.

Host Institution

What group or laboratory will host the speaker?

Seminar Speaker

Who will give the seminar? Please provide the speaker's name and affiliation, and a brief biography of between one paragraph and one page in length. The speaker's consent should be obtained before making an application to this funding program.

Seminar Title

Provide a brief title for the proposed seminar.

Seminar Topic

Provide a 50-100 word abstract that clearly indicates the topic or issue to be addressed by the seminar.

Date and Location of Seminar

When and where will the seminar be held? Please try to provide as much flexibility in scheduling as possible.

Significance and Relevance

In no more than half a page, explain why the topic of the seminar is important to Human Communication Science, and likely to attract a wide and interdisciplinary audience. In particular, indicate the disciplines you think are likely to be represented in the audience.

Any Other Comments

Provide any other information that may be useful in determining whether the seminar is an appropriate event to be supported by the HCSNet Seminar Support Program.